Week 21: Children and Marriage (Part 1 of 3)

Read Time: 2.7 min

If you and your spouse have children, you know that becoming parents is a huge transition for any marriage. You also know that when you become a parent, the ways in which you parent your child serve as a magnifying glass in your marriage. Because parenting is rarely easy and places many demands on a person and a marriage, it has a way of amplifying both you and your spouse’s positive and negative traits.

While children are a great blessing to a marriage, they can also be a major source of stress (even when things are going well)! Your fears and apprehensions about yourself, your spouse, and your children surface as you carry out your child rearing responsibilities.

For instance, if there are unresolved issues in your marriage surrounding money, self-esteem, sex, relatives, religion, or career; these issues will seem larger due to the challenges inherent in raising children. More so, parenting children awakens attitudes, habits, and emotions reflective of the parents’ experiences within their own families. And sometimes, these awakenings may
not be appropriate for the family of which these parents are now a part.

When any good thing in life arrives, it always presents opportunities and challenges. When you have children, you are given the special opportunity to help guide and train a person to live a life of truth, compassion, and relevance. Yet, the accompanying challenge is for both parents to channel the stress of raising children into an opportunity for their own personal growth and
honing their cooperative skills.

Your fears and apprehensions about yourself, your spouse, and your children surface as you carry out your child rearing responsibilities.

Some Things To Do For The Week

Day 2: Reflect on the message and scripture reading; journal if you like
Day 3: Pray for or meditate on what you think you need
Day 4: Discuss the message and scripture with your spouse
Day 5: Plan how you can best respond to the message
Day 6: Rest; don’t think about the message or the scripture; listen in the stillness
Day 7: Recommit yourself to your marriage

Applicable scripture listed under Discussion References.